Last week, I had the great honor of announcing that I was asked to be one of the first 10 Brand Ambassadors for the new Her Universe Brand Ambassador Program, HU:Community. My friend Mariah was also one of the first to be asked to join the program. So, we decided to put together an Instagram Live earlier this week talking about our experiences working with the brand, tips on being a Brand Ambassador and our style advice. Unfortunately, Instagram glitched and didn't allow either of us to save the livestream. So today, I am sharing everything that we discussed for those of you who missed it. I hope this helps to inspire you and lead you to being more confident in your journey as a Brand Ambassador!
MY HER UNIVERSE STORY
I've been wearing Her Universe for as long as I can remember. My first piece, the Princess Leia hoodie, was gifted to me by my parents for Christmas. It was so refreshing to have something other than a Star Wars t-shirt in my closet and new pieces that, I felt, better expressed my love for Star Wars. Her Universe also brought together a new Star Wars fan community which I was excited to be a part of. I've met so many amazing friends because of it! As the years went by, I continued to support the brand and overtime, Her Universe noticed that I was styling their pieces on my blog and social media pages and began sharing them. I believe the first time I collaborated with them was when they sent me their Rey Dress the Summer before The Last Jedi hit theaters. From then on, I would continue to collaborate with the brand by styling pieces they would send me. And now, I'm officially working with Her Universe and it's the best feeling! All of my interactions with Her Universe, and even with Ashley Eckstein herself, have been an absolute joy! I can't thank them enough for this incredible opportunity.
A MESSAGE FROM HER UNIVERSE
My lovely contact, Nicole, who is part of the Her Universe Social Media department, asked Mariah and I to let you know during the Instagram Live that they are working through all of the applications with great care and that acceptance emails have started being sent out on March 9th. Keep an eye out on your inbox!
APPLYING TO BE A BRAND AMBASSADOR
ANYONE can apply to be a Brand Ambassador on the Her Universe website. You must be at least 18 years old, live in the U.S. or Canada and have at least 1,500 followers on any social media platform like Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok, etc. If you have a TikTok account, please be sure to send Her Universe a DM for manual adding to your application.
If you're applying with your Facebook account, make sure that your email address is an active one. You don't want to miss an acceptance email!
You will be prompted for basic information about yourself and your accounts. They will also ask about what fandoms you like, your clothing sizes, etc. I'd like to thank Disney Dreamer Lifestyle for sharing her experience in applying! Since I myself didn't have to go through the application process, I am unsure of the other details involved.
You don't have to be a Star Wars fan to apply. Her Universe is looking for influencers who also love other franchises like Disney, Marvel, DC, etc. Below is the list of the other 8 Brand Ambassadors who were also invited to join. I'd recommend visiting their Instagram pages for inspiration!
Rhod | @rhodmeetsworld
Megan | @ocfitmommy
Erin | @braidsandbigearrings
Shanae | @itswondawoman
Shaniece | @Supawomansupafly
Tiffany | @tomorrowlandtiff
Shirin | @sharirini
If you're accepted, you will receive a reply. There is no confirmation email. If you're not accepted and you really want to be a part of the program, I'd recommend waiting a few months or so before applying again.
Upon being accepted, you will receive a virutal handbook that covers rewards and perks, requirements, code of ethics, and everything else that you need to know about being a HU: Community member!
BRAND AMBASSADOR TIPS
Being an Ambassador means that you're passionate about the company you're collaborating with. You're representing them to the best of your ability and through it, you're able to be yourself. Make sure that you choose who you're working with wisely because being a Brand Ambassador is considered to be a long-term relationship versus a one-time collaboration.
You don't have to have a ton of followers to work with a company. Brands look at more than just numbers but they do take it into consideration. I've learned from Chelsea at Sprinked by Magic that companies also look at things like engagement rates so, in this case, you could even be a microinfluencer! I'll never forget when I had a few thousand followers on Instagram and COACH reached out to me to collaborate with them. Even Her Universe works with microinfluencers starting at 1,500 followers! Who you are and the content you create can truly speak louder than numbers.
If there is a brand that you want to work with, make sure you're following them. You can also tag them in your posts that feature their product but don't go overboard. You want to make them aware of your presence but you don't want to bombard them. A good guideline for tagging is to tag them in the posts that you're the most proud of.
Be careful of scammers (ex: “DM us to collab”). I'd highly suggest ignorning any comments you recieve like that! When I first encountered those comments, I was clueless and after DM'ing them, it never went anywhere. It can help to look for the blue check mark (a verified account) if it’s not a small shop. In some cases, brands might not have the blue check mark but a little bit of poking around can help you to determine if it's an authentic account.
Being a Brand Ambassador doesn't always mean that you'll be provided with affiliate or discount codes. In this case, Her Universe does not offer that through HU: Community. Some of the perks that do come along with being a Brand Ambassador with HU: Community are: Free product, sneak peaks at upcoming collections, the opportunity to model if local, etc.
Be sure to read through Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers to learn what's required by law when working with brands. Most of the time, brands will let you know of things like specific wording or hashtags to use so that it's clear to your followers that it's a sponsored post. But it's also important to be aware of the rules yourself.
STYLE ADVICE
Using a mirror to practice your posing is so beneficial. You can use it to find your best angles, work on different facial expressions, and to determine how certain pieces should lay or how accessories should be held. Mariah also highly recommends the Unscripted Posing app!
You should do your make-up however you feel like. Sometimes, if I'm wearing something really colorful, I'll go for neutral colors. Whereas, if my outfit is more toned down, I'll play with colorful shades of eyeshadow or maybe do a red lip.
When curating a post for the brand that you're working with, you will often be asked to make sure that your content focuses on the product that was provided to you and that no other brands with logos, etc. are visible or mentioned in the post. Make it shine!
Choose pieces that compliment the product that you're featuring. Ask yourself questions like: Have the pieces I've chosen complimented the product? Does this feel like me? Is the background too cluttered?
CREATOR TOOLS
Tripods are great for when you don't have anyone who can help with your photoshoot. I've used mine countless times! I often like to put up a backdrop on my backdrop stand whether it be a solid color like white or black, or a galaxy print! I'm a big fan of Savage Seamless Background Paper. It's great quality and lasts a long time! As for fabric backgrounds, I've purchased all of mine through Amazon.
Lighting is important! Selfie ring lights, softbox lights are absolute great investments and they'll be tools that you'll use all of the time. Of course, natural outdoor lighting is another great option. It can be really fun to play around with lighting especially if you incorporate color.
Lightroom and Snapseed are some great photo editing apps that I use all of the time. I often upload my photos from my DSLR to my Lightroom app to edit all of my photos. Sometimes I need to use Photoshop, but this is my go-to! I also like to use StoryArt and Canva to create eye-catching in-feed and story posts.
If you're looking to create a flatlay (an image shot directly from above) on a solid colored background, you can use foam board. I usually purchase mine for super cheap from Target.
Thank you for taking the time to read my advice and tips! If you have any further questions, please let me know in a comment below or get in touch with me on Instagram or Twitter.
Disclaimer: Affiliate links were used in this post meaning if you purchase something from Amazon, I will receive a commission.
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